Ghost Town
by toesalignedarch
Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby while traveling for her thesis, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?
1. Part 1

**Summary** : AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby while traveling for her thesis, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

 **A/N** : I was inspired to write this from a course I'm taking. My professor is an anthropologist who specializes in ghost towns, islands, and other places like that. He was telling us a story the other day in class, and I thought it was really cool so here we are :)

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 1

* * *

As the wind blew her scarf backwards, Kagome surged forward. The hill she was climbing was covered with stalks of golden wheat and swaying grass. Her destination was just ahead of her, she was sure of it. Glancing down at the wrinkled napkin in her hands, she traced the sketches of the stranger from last night with her fingertips.

The man had approached her at the bar, asking what someone like her was doing in the isolated town of Shikon no Tama. Despite his straggled appearance and red rimmed eyes, he seemed genuinely curious, so Kagome decided to tell him. When she explained that she was an anthropologist who specialized in ghost towns, he immediately began to spew tales of the town in which he used to live, Tessaiga, that was now empty.

"It's about a two hour drive from here," he had told her. Picking up a napkin from the bar, he pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and proceeded to draw a rough map. "Just drive south. You'll know it when you see it, it's the only thing in the middle of nowhere. Might want to wear better shoes though, you know. It's quite a hike."

She had thanked the man for his kindness, and left the bar with the napkin stowed safely in her coat pocket. Settling down in the car she had rented for this project, she studied the thick black lines and dots the man had drawn. Though she knew this could be her last expedition of her life, her curiosity demanded that she at least check out the empty town.

With a few more steps, she now stood on the top of the grassy hill. Around her were more hills of rolling grass; in the distance stood tall gray mountains, blurred from the low lying clouds that hung around their bases. Kagome glanced down, and let out a gasp.

Below her, in the valley between the hill on which she stood and the next, was an actual town. From her position, she could see neighborhoods of neat houses, a grocery store, and even a hotel at the far corner. The man was right; this place was definitely empty. Even from so far away, Kagome could tell that no one had lived in this town for at least a few decades. As she walked closer and closer, she noticed more and more signs that this place was deserted.

Strolling down what must've been the main road, Kagome paused to take photos of doors hanging wide open on their hinges, dusty front steps, and weeds that had managed to poke through the cobblestones beneath her feet. In front of her, the main road ended at what looked like a court. To either side of her were the remains of the town's industry: demon slayers. With every building she passed, Kagome saw the history of the town unfold.

Tessaiga must have started as a prosperous town, she mused as she noticed the faded signs advertising Tessaiga's "powerful" and "invincible" demon slayers. In the windows of the shops were shabby posters, most of which featured a brunette dressed in skin-tight black and pink leather. The woman looked like she was in the middle of fighting a demon, with her arm extended backwards and a huge boomerang behind her. Kagome frowned; there was no way the demon slayer was using the boomerang as a weapon… right?

Advertisement after advertisement screamed out Tessaiga's demon slayer achievements. One particular shop had plastered its main window with yellowing newspaper clippings.

DEMON SLAYERS EXTERMINATE MISTRESS CENTIPEDE, a bold headline yelled. The photo beneath the title displayed the same brunette, standing proudly over the carcass of an enormous centipede demon. _Sango of Tessaiga, Japan, stands over her most recent extermination_ , the caption beneath the photo read.

SANGO DEFEATS THE VILLAN, NARAKU, another headline stated. This time, the photo showed a badly beaten Sango, smiling away at the camera while she held in her hands a white sphere. _Sango showcases the purified jewel that had once been defiled in Naraku's hands_ , this caption said. Kagome vaguely remembered hearing the name Naraku before. Thinking hard, she tried to remember the context. It must have been her history class, where the professor briefly mentioned the struggle between good and evil that happened 50 years ago; a half-demon named Naraku had tried to defile some precious jewel to give himself more power, but had been stopped by a team of elite demon slayers with the help of a monk and a priestess. Interesting, Kagome thought. She pulled out her journal and wrote down a note to herself. She would have to read up on the Naraku ordeal later.

Clearly, something had happened to the town of Tessaiga. Kagome continued wandering down the street, pausing occasionally to take a photo or jot down some notes in her journal. Approaching the end of the street, something to her left caught her eye. A side road, made of flattened dirt, led her eye to a small house, partially hidden from view by the massive bushes and ivies that had taken over the structure. Something about that house was strange, but she couldn't tell what. Nevertheless, she found herself drawn to the abandoned house.

She walked up the steps and noticed that the metal railing along the front porch had rusted so much, it disintegrated at her touch. The front door wasn't doing much better; the paint had completely peeled off and the door had rotted until there wasn't much of a door anymore. Pushing aside what remained of the door, Kagome stepped inside the house.

The first thing she noticed was how much dust had accumulated on the ground. As she let out a soft breath, she could see the dust billow around her in the soft light coming through the windows. A grand staircase curled upwards to her right, and to her left was a dining room. Taking a cautious step towards the grand table, Kagome tried to ignore the smell of rotting food and wood that accosted her nose.

The table was still standing, and the surrounding chairs seemed to be in good condition. There must have been cloth placemats in front of the chairs; Kagome could see the remains of them ingrained on the dust on the table. A large cabinet with glass doors showcased an assortment plates, bowls, teacups, and utensils. An opening from the dining room led to a kitchen, and beyond that was a small living room. The kitchen was strangely clean, Kagome noticed as she stepped softly into the room. The appliances were rusty, but there was no clutter on the counters. In her experience, houses in ghost towns usually seemed like the inhabitants just suddenly vanished, leaving behind cluttered countertops and stocked cabinets and drawers. But no, this kitchen, aside from all the dust, was spotless. The living room was even more so: the coffee table in front of the outdated television was covered in dust and nothing else. A little lamp sat on the corner table, its lampshade sporting holes that must've been eaten through by moths. But even the lamp was intact, all the windows were closed, all the window shades in place. Even the body on the couch was neatly arranged—

Wait a second.

Body on the couch?

Her heart skipped a beat, then began to race. A body. There was a body on the couch. There was a _body_ on the couch. It had to be a body; what else was shaped like that? It was covered in a dark blue blanket, facing away from her. A mane of silver hair cascaded around where the head should be. It was a body, it had to be. Was it… dead? Decomposing? That would certainly explain why the neat house smelled like rotting flesh. Kagome didn't dare move. What if it was alive? That would be even worse. She gulped as quietly as she could, and tried to calm down her racing heart. The stranger had said this place was deserted. How long did it take a body to decompose? If the body on the couch still held its shape under a blanket, then the flesh must still be there. How long ago did this person die? It must have been recent. What was going on here?!

"I thought this place was deserted," Kagome mumbled to herself, so quietly that even she could barely hear her own voice.

"Apparently not," said another voice.

Then the body began to move.


	2. Part 2

**Summary** : AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

 **A/N** : whoa! Thank you everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited so far! I'm so happy that you liked part 1, so I was inspired to write part 2 :) don't forget to leave a review *hint hint*

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 2

* * *

Kagome stared in horror as the blanket began to slip off the body. The head of silver hair shook as it lifted up from the couch, sending dust flying in frantic swirls, and—

Whoa.

 _Whoa_.

Kagome's crisp blue eyes stared into amber ones; amber eyes so intense that her knees turned to honey and she nearly stumbled over. The face that stared angrily at her was ruggedly handsome; the long silver hair that framed his face almost distracted her enough to not notice the triangular ears sticking out on top of his head— almost.

"What… what are you?" Kagome whispered, slowly backing up under the scrutinizing stare of the— demon? No, he didn't look like one. Human? Definitely no. Half-demon, perhaps? She decided to call him a half-demon for now — half-demon in front of her.

"I should ask you the same thing," he growled. His eyes narrowed into slits, the dog ears twitched on top of his head, and he took a quick sniff. "What are you doing here, and why are you here?"

"I… I'm just… passing by—"

"Don't even think about lying. I can smell it if you do," the half-demon in front of her warned. He took a step forward, and Kagome scuffled back.

Kagome licked her lips nervously. "I'm an anthropologist," she started to say. Her voice wavered and she fisted her hands by her side; no way would she show how terrified she was. She almost trailed off at the way his eyes snapped back to her face, but she forced herself to stay calm, stay professional, and say the right things and stay alive. "I'm currently working on a project on ghost towns and other abandoned settlements. I was told that there was one here, so I came to investigate. I didn't realize that there would still be…"

"That there would still be someone here, huh?" the half-demon interrupted. Kagome gave a small nod, and he smirked arrogantly. "Keh. Typical humans."

"Excuse me?"

"Humans. I mean, come on. Who told you about this place, huh?"

"It was… he was… he came up to me last night and told me—"

"And this person— a stranger, I assume— told you about this place and you trusted him? You're such an idiot! What if it had been a trap, huh? You could be dead by now! See, this is what I'm talkin' about. Humans are too trusting, too easily manipulated."

"I am not too trusting," Kagome insisted indignantly. Hearing the half-demon's rant had melted away some of her apprehension, and she was starting to feel normal again. Or, at least, normal enough to be offended by the half-demon's words.

"Sure, sure," he said in a tone that indicated he didn't believe her at all. "And that's obviously why you decided to stay and talk to me instead of runaway when I spoke."

"I was curious!" Kagome defended.

"Curious about what?"

"Well…" Kagome looked around the living room for a second before returning her gaze to the half-demon before her. "About everything, really. Why this place is empty, who Sango was, and why you're in a supposedly deserted town."

The half-demon regarded her suspiciously. His amber eyes narrowed as he scanned her body, presumably looking for weapons or anything of the sort.

"Why do you care?"

That wasn't the question she had been expecting. "I'm an anthropologist," she repeated. "I'm just curious about these things."

The half-demon rolled his eyes and stood up. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of black jeans and a shirt so red, it reminded Kagome of blood. He stretched his arms above his head, revealing a strip of his stomach. Kagome blushed and diverted her gaze; he obviously didn't have to worry about squeezing into clothing that definitely fit last year. He obviously didn't need to watch what he ate, either, Kagome thought jealously.

"You coming, wench?"

"Huh?" Kagome looked up and to her surprise, he was standing in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. He looked at her as if she were stupid, and repeated what he said earlier.

"Going where?"

"You'll see," he said, and disappeared.

His words about being too trusting echoed in her mind as she followed the faint footsteps in the dust. His feet were big, she thought randomly as millions of half-formed sentences whizzed through her mind. Who was this guy? He definitely seemed like a half-demon; he didn't have the markings on his face that distinguished demons from their half-siblings. Where was he taking her? Was she going to die?

"Hurry up, wench! Why are you so slow?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Kagome huffed, picking up her pace.

His footsteps ended back at the front door, and when she looked up, she saw that he had walked out the door, down the steps, and was now waiting for her on the main street. He was standing alone, arms crossed, impatiently tapping his bare feet against the cobblestones. Maybe she shouldn't piss him off, she wondered. She had seen what half-demons were capable of, and she didn't particularly feel like dying a painful death today. Kagome hurried out the door and towards the half-demon.

In the light of the setting sun, his hair seemed to glow like a halo as he continued to wait impatiently. He definitely had a nice body, Kagome thought to herself, blushing a little. When she caught up to him, he started to stride down the road, walking away from the house.

"Where're we going?"

No response.

Kagome followed him in silence. She stared at her surroundings, trying to take in what had happened. She had found a body on a couch. The body was alive, and belonged to this mysterious half-demon. Was he taking her to her execution or something? Kagome was so lost in thought that she didn't notice he had stopped until she ran into him.

"Watch it, wench," he muttered, catching her with a hand around her wrist.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"I take it you know that this town is called Tessaiga?"

"Of course," she said.

"Hm."

The half-demon was quiet for a few minutes, staring pensively at the store to his left. Kagome followed his gaze and recognized the store she had seen earlier, the one with all the newspaper clippings pasted on the window. The half-demon walked up to the glass and, with his claws, gently traced his finger along the article about Sango defeating Naraku.

"Do you know the feeling when you do something really great, and you expect some sort of recognition for it but everyone just ignores you?"

"Um, not really, no," Kagome said quietly. She had a feeling she knew where this was headed, and she mentally prepared herself.

"Consider yourself lucky, then," the half-demon said with a dark laugh. He gestured to the newspaper article with his claw and said, "I was with them when we brought down Naraku. I did most of the work, actually."

Kagome let out a soft gasp.

"But that was nearly fifty years ago," she managed to say.

"I age slowly," the half-demon said with a shrug. He continued to stare at the newspaper article. Kagome couldn't figure out his expression. Sorrow? Regret? There was definitely a hint of wistfulness, though.

"After we brought him down, I was expecting some kind of triumphant heroic return," he said quietly. All the anger in his voice had disappeared, leaving a strangely emotional tone. "But the rest of the group told me to stay low. They got their interviews, they got their fame and fortune, but me? I got nothing. All because I'm a half-demon."

Kagome stared at the half-demon in shock. He was telling her this? And to think that she thought she wouldn't get out of this town alive. She itched to get her voice recorder, or at least her journal and pen, but decided against it in case the half-demon got offended and stopped talking.

"They told me, 'Inuyasha, we can't bring you with us' because it would ruin their reputations. Working with a half-demon. Ironic, isn't it? That one of the best demon exterminators worked alongside a half-demon? They were afraid that the media would twist me into some blood-thirsty monster who killed his own kind."

Naraku was a half-demon, too, Kagome remembered.

"And so, they left. They moved on to bigger and better things. Big houses, big cars, fancy suits and ball gowns. And me? I just stayed here. I didn't want to reveal myself, because they were my friends and they'd worked so hard to finally have a peaceful life and I didn't want to ruin it with my tainted blood. So I stayed here. And I'm still here."

Blissful silence. Kagome's mind raced, trying to process and store the words the half-demon— Inuyasha, if she heard correctly— was telling her.

"Where did everyone else go? Not your friends, the other townspeople?" she asked timidly.

He let out another humorous laugh. "It's hard to keep secrets from the media, as I'm sure you already know. Word leaked out that they had help from a half-demon, and they were right: their reputations were damaged. But not for long; they denied everything. They called me a mercenary, someone they'd hired to help them because I was known for me _merciless_ methods of _murder_." He spat out the words venomously, and Kagome could almost feel the anger, the hurt, the sorrow radiating from his body. "Then those words got twisted. I became known as the monster, the murderer, the creature so cruel that I'd kill my own kind. Everyone around here began to fear me. And so they all left."

"Oh," Kagome said, and fell silent too. The pair stood at the window covered with yellow paper for a long time. Each time Kagome tried to say something, the words would die in her throat and nothing would come out.

Poor Inuyasha, she thought. He probably worked hard for a peaceful life too, and yet all he got was heaps of betrayal and hurt.

"And that's it," Inuyasha said, breaking the heavy silence. "I'll stay here until I die. Probably." He turned and looked at Kagome with startling empty eyes. Where had all the emotions gone? Where was the intense anger, the blazing amber eyes she had first seen? All that remained was a dull stare. It reminded her of a wall, as if he was purposefully closing himself off to protect himself from… from what? Rejection? Another betrayal?

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. As she thought through his story again, tears began to well up in her eyes. What a terrible life! She imagined growing up as a half-demon, belonging to neither the human realm nor the demon world. She imagined a young Inuyasha, innocent amber eyes and everything, being scorned and mocked for simply being who he was. He had been fighting for a peaceful life ever since he was born, and yet he allowed his friends to live in peace while he rotted away in this town. A tear dripped down her cheek and fell to the ground with a noise that sliced the thick silence in half.

Inuyasha's ears flicked, and suddenly a little bit of light returned to his eyes. His eyebrows dropped over his eyes, concerned.

"You're crying," he said, stunned.

"No I'm not," Kagome muttered, wiping her sleeve across her eyes hurriedly.

"Yes you are, I'm not that dumb. You are crying. Why are you crying?"

"I… I don't know. It's been a long day, and I feel bad that your friends betrayed you, and I won't even begin to imagine how horrible that must've been—"

"I was fine," Inuyasha interrupted. His face became stoic again, all traces of emotion gone. "I survived on my own. I don't need other people to bother me all the time, anyway. They only get in the way. I'm happier here."

But even as he said it, Kagome could tell he didn't believe it.


	3. Part 3

Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

A/N: hope you enjoy part 3!

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 3

* * *

Kagome wrapped her hands around the cracked mug Inuyasha had offered her earlier. The loose tea leaves rotated slowly in the current of the boiling water, and she stared at them as they moved. Outside the window, the sun was setting on the rolling hills surrounding Tessaiga. The dimming sunlight filtered through the holes in the curtains, illuminating just enough of the room for Kagome to see the outline of Inuyasha, sitting on the chair next to her. The comfortable silence comforted her as her eyes traced the vortex in her mug.

He had brought her back into the dusty house and offered her some tea, which she accepted. Now, they sat, listening to the wind outside blow fallen leaves across the cobblestone path.

"Do you… would you mind if I wrote down your story?" Kagome asked the man beside her tentatively.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Do whatever."

Kagome set down her mug down on the coffee table and pulled her journal out of her bag. The sound of pen scratching paper filled the room. Inuyasha closed his eyes and relaxed against the back of his wooden chair, seemingly enjoying the company of another person for the first time in who knows how many years.

The words flowed from Kagome's mind onto the lined paper of her journal like a coursing river. After a few minutes, her hand began to cramp up. Shaking it out, she crossed her right leg over her left, tilting the journal precariously to one side and causing a slew of loose paper and photographs to cascade to the ground.

"Shit!" Kagome hissed, and immediately bent down to gather her notes. Seconds later, a second pair of hands joined her in collecting the pages.

"What's all this?" Inuyasha asked, holding a photo up by the corners.

"Let me see," Kagome told him, holding her hand out expectantly. When he handed her the photo, she took one glance and chuckled.

"What?" he demanded, snatching the photo back. He studied the picture intently for a few moments. "I don't get it, what's so funny?"

"That was from one of my older encounters," Kagome informed him. "A few months ago, I'd say. I was traveling along the countryside and ran into this village not unlike this one. Of course, I knew that someone was living there so I wasn't too surprised, but the interview was just ridiculous. It's a long story, I won't bore you with it."

Inuyasha regarded the rectangle in his hand before handing it to Kagome. "No, please do. I'd love to hear this story."

"Well, see this guy here?" Kagome gestured to the figure in the center of the picture. It was lying on the ground peacefully. "That's the guy who was living in the village. He claimed to be a priest, so I asked him to demonstrate something for me while I took pictures. Took a lot of convincing, actually." Kagome stood up and stuck out her chest. In a squeaky voice, she exclaimed, "a real priest does not let mere peasants take images of his magic!"

Inuyasha cracked a smile at her impersonation of the so-called priest.

"But eventually I got him to agree," Kagome continued, sitting back down on the couch. "And so he told me to go outside, so I did, and he came out to join me around fifteen minutes later. He told me to prepare myself for what he was about to do, so I did, and guess what he does."

"He tries to murder you?"

"Not quite. Guess again."

"He tries to kidnap you?"

"No! I'm still here, aren't I? It wasn't anything bad—"

"Oh, so he tried to grope you, then," Inuyasha suggested.

Kagome's cheeks burned red, her eyes shocked. It took a second, but when she regained control of her body, she smacked his arm playfully.

"I was kidding!" he insisted, holding his hands up in the gesture of surrender. "Well, mostly anyway."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome picked up where she had left off. "He makes me sit down on the grass, right, and he starts rolling up his sleeves like he's going to do something crazy, like produce a cow from his left ear or something, but he keeps rolling up his sleeves until they're all the way up to his shoulders," Kagome said, gesturing at her own shoulders. "And then he takes a deep breath, and then another deep breath, and he keeps taking deep breaths until he passes out. And so at that point I figured he wasn't going to do anything else besides lay there so I took a photo of him and left."

Inuyasha blinked at her, then fell out of his chair. Startled, Kagome started to stand up to check on him, but then she realized he was laughing. In fact, he was laughing to hard, his face was turning bright red and he couldn't make a sound.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Kagome said, a little peeved at the half-demon.

"It was," Inuyasha countered when he finally caught his breath. He sat up and returned to his seat, claws outstretched. Before Kagome realized what he was doing, he had grabbed her entire journal and started flipping through the pages.

"Careful!" Kagome pleaded, watching anxiously as the sharp claws flicked forcefully through page after page. "Everything I've done for this project is in there, and I can't afford to lose it. Inuyasha! Please!"

His fingers slowed down and he flipped the next page so slowly that it took him nearly a minute. "There," he said sarcastically. "Better?"

"Much," Kagome responded primly, throwing him a small smile.

He continued to flip through her journal, and she continued to watch him, occasionally taking a sip of her (surprisingly good) tea.

The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the hills and darkness swept through the air, flooding the room and muffling Kagome's senses. She hadn't realized how dark it would be, in an isolated town with no electricity. Around her, she could still hear the sounds of Inuyasha flipping through her journal— thankfully at a much slower rate than before— and the noises of forest creatures from outside the window. She was consciously aware of the sound of her inhales and exhales, mingling together with his.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

As her eyes began to adjust to the black, Kagome found herself looking at the outline of Inuyasha. He was bent over, probably trying to decipher her illegible handwriting.

"How can you see anything?" Kagome asked, squinting in an attempt to see more clearly.

"How can you not see anything?" Inuyasha snapped. "Be quiet, I'm trying to read."

"Well I'm _sorry_ I don't have night-vision goggles," Kagome muttered under her breath. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "No need to get stingy about it."

"Night vision goggles?"

"Oh forget it."

The crisp pages filled the room once more. There was the occasional wobble as Inuyasha turned a page onto which a photograph had been glued, and the intermittent sniff as his sensitive nose registered any new scents rising up from her journal. Kagome focused on her breathing. She could smell the dust, the remnants of rotting food, and the pungent aroma of her tea. But as she took in a deeper breath, she also recognized the smell of pine, and… no, it couldn't be.

Kagome let out a quiet giggle, and Inuyasha let out an irritated sigh.

"What's so funny now, wench?"

"It's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Dammit, now I am worried about it! Tell me!"

Kagome looked in the direction of his voice and, knowing that he could see her clearly, flashed him a wide grin. "I was just concentrating on what I could smell, and I literally smelled a dog. You smell like a dog."

There was a sharp smack and a tortured whine.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome stood abruptly, looking around wildly. "Inuyasha what's wrong?"

"I can't believe it," she heard him mutter. "I cannot fucking believe this."

"What?" Kagome asked, a little shaken. "Can't believe what? What's going on?"

"I," Inuyasha said loudly, making Kagome jump a little. "Cannot believe that I am stuck here with someone as dumb as you. That is all."

There was some murmuring that sounded suspiciously like, "of course you smell a dog, I'm a fucking dog demon for crying out loud" but Kagome's ears probably deceived her. She frowned as his words sunk in, and pouted playfully.

"I am not dumb."

"And I'm not dumb enough to get into an argument about this."

Dang it. Kagome took a deep breath and relaxed against her seat again. Her eyelids felt heavy and she had the irresistible urge to curl up next to Inuyasha and sleep. It would be like cuddling with a puppy, she thought. Her lips tilted upwards in a faint smile.

"I really should be going," Kagome mumbled out loud. "I've already spent too long here."

"Going?"

"I need to keep working on the project."

"Going? Like, you're going to leave?"

"As if I'm going to stay," Kagome said before she could stop herself. Even if she couldn't see, she definitely felt it: the room went silent. But this time, it was a tense, angry, hurt silence. How could she be so insensitive?

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I swear! I just meant that I need to keep working on my project and I won't be able to finish if I stay here and oh, I'm just making it worse, aren't I?"

Nothing. No reaction. Just the sound of his even breathing. Was he forcing himself to remain calm? Kagome could only imagine what his emotions were at the moment. Anger? Regret? Hurt? Betrayed, again?

"Inuyasha, really, I—"

"It's fine."

His voice only doubled the weight on her shoulders.

"I—"

"It's _fine_."

Kagome swallowed her apology and curled up into a ball. She'd ruined it, once again. Way to go, blabber mouth, Kagome thought angrily to herself. How could she have been so forgetful? After getting to know him, Inuyasha seemed like a regular guy— well, half-demon— and she'd completely forgotten why he was here. In another lifetime, they might've been good friends.

"Wench, stop beating yourself up," Inuyasha said curtly.

"Huh?"

"I can smell your frustration. Stop beating yourself up. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I honestly didn't mean it like that, I _swear_."

"I know," was all he said.

And the silence returned.


	4. Part 4

Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

A/N: So sorry this took so long to update, it's been a bit overwhelming lately. All this school work and (I got promoted in my job so hooray for raises but boo for more time spent) and swimming and blah blah blah. Anyway, here's part 4!

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 4

* * *

When Kagome opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the smell. Rather, the lack thereof. She took a deeper breath and realized she could no longer smell the rotting food and the dust and the mold in the walls— she blinked rapidly, her view of the living room sharpening with each reopening of her eyelids.

Her tea mug was still on the table where she had placed it before falling asleep. She stretched her arms above her head, careful not to roll off the couch. Had she always had this blanket around her? She couldn't remember for the life of her. Propping herself up on one elbow, Kagome glanced around curiously.

The soft light filtering through the tattered curtains caressed her face, breathing color into her cheeks. She wondered where Inuyasha was— the memories came flooding back.

" _Going? Like, you're going to leave?"_

" _As if I'm going to stay."_

She winced as the conversation played in her head. Really, how could she have been so insensitive? She'd probably ruined her budding friendship with the half-demon. She sighed and flopped back onto the couch. Sniffling, she tried not to think of the lack of half-demon in the room. He probably ran away as soon as she fell asleep, she thought. There was no way he'd stay in a room with someone as horrible as she. Kagome sniffled again.

"Would you shut up?" growled a familiar voice.

Kagome shot up and immediately regretted it. As the black edges around her vision faded, she looked around for the body that was associated with the voice. She hadn't noticed before, but Inuyasha was sitting at the table in the kitchen, flipping through something that looked suspiciously like her journal… Her eyes widened. That _was_ her journal.

"Why do you have my journal?" Kagome asked, wincing as her voice cracked.

"I'm still reading it," was his curt reply. Kagome bit her lower lip nervously. She could tell he was still annoyed with her; it was better than anger, but still.

Fidgeting with the edge of the itchy yet comforting blanket, Kagome pondered what to do. Was there something she could do to make Inuyasha forgive her? The pads of her fingers grazed over the rough stitching that held the fraying blanket together. Someone must've taken hours, maybe even days, to meticulously stich all four edges of the blanket. The thick maroon thread was soft in her hands. Who made this blanket? In a quick sweep, Kagome deemed there wasn't a tag labeled with the manufacturer; this must've been handmade. That would explain the uneven stitches. Despite its imperfections, Kagome found herself increasingly drawn to the blanket. It must've been made with lots of love.

"Are you hungry?"

The sound of Inuyasha's voice brought her back from into reality. "What?"

"Are you hungry?" he repeated, looking up at her with a blank face.

"Um, just a little," she admitted, her stomach grumbling quietly under the blanket. "I'm okay though."

"Yeah, right." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and closed the journal. "I can hear your stomach, you know. Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Without waiting for her, he stood up and walked towards the front door. Kagome blinked for a second, then scrambled up. Stuffing her feet into her shoes and dropping the blanket in a messy pile on the couch, she stumbled her way after the half-demon.

By the time she caught up to him, he was already walking down the main street. In the light of the morning sun, the street shimmered with hidden secrets. Occasional flashes of light burst in Kagome's eyes as she walked past shining reflections from signs and windows along the row of shops.

"Where're we going?"

"To get food."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat. He was still upset. Sniffling quietly, she murmured, "okay."

Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha cast the melancholy woman a quick glance. He could smell her sadness, her regret, and her anger wafting through the air. Perhaps he'd been too harsh towards her; after all, her words _did_ hurt but she obviously hadn't meant them in that way. Glancing around him, his eyes caught a familiar rickety wooden porch with a rotting rocking chair.

"You see that porch there?" he said quietly, pointing with one clawed finger.

Kagome's head shot up. His tone had been… forgiving, almost. Caring? Whatever it was, he definitely didn't sound angry or upset. Kagome followed his finger and found herself looking at the most dilapidated porch she'd ever seen. The wood was nearly green with moss and vines, and the center of the porch right in front of the door had caved in. Huge splinters of wood littered the edge, so big that even from this distance, Kagome could see their serrated edges. In the corner stood— well, it was more sagging than standing— a rocking chair. At one point it must have been well loved and quiet magnificent, but now it sat pathetically among its equally as sad companions.

"I used to go there all the time as a kid. There was this old lady, Kaede, who was like the… the town grandma, I guess. Only had one eye, said she lost it in a battle with one of my ancestors. Never knew if she was joking or not, but that's all she would ever tell me."

Inuyasha's feet came to a stand still. Kagome stopped as well, barely breathing as she waiting for more details to come spilling from his mouth. She still couldn't believe he sounded anything but upset and angry. Not wanting to risk upsetting him again, Kagome chose to remain as quiet and as still as possible.

"Every Friday afternoon, after school, we'd all run over to her house and she'd ask us about our day, and give us tea and biscuits and if we were lucky, we'd get to have dinner with her. She wasn't the best cook, of course, but I guess it was more the atmosphere than anything else. When we were with Kaede, we were loved. We were cared for; we were the center of attention… not cast aside like we usually were. Especially me."

Inuyasha fell silent. A soft breeze whisked through the air, making his hair whirl around his head. His ears twitched ever so slightly and Kagome had to physically suppress her urge to rub them.

"Come on," he said after a while. "Let's keep going."

The pair continued their walk down the main street, with Inuyasha stopping every now and then to tell her another story. She learned about how he met Sango, the simultaneously violent and sweet demon slayer, how he met Miroku, the lecherous monk, and how despite their obvious attraction to each other the two bickered and fought constantly. She watched as Inuyasha's eyes filled with warmth as he recalled each time Miroku was slapped in the face and that one particular time when he had caught Sango in a bad mood, and ended up in a ditch half a mile away. Kagome learned about Shippo, the annoying and utterly useless fox-demon the troop had adopted. "He was the worst," Inuyasha admitted fondly. "Couldn't do shit. Actually, he was a pretty good punching bag."

Walking down the street, Inuyasha pointed out all the different shops and what happened there. If Kagome wasn't so paranoid of upsetting him again, she'd guess that he was warming up to her again.

"There, see that one? That was the weaponry. Run by some bug-eyed old man named Totosai. Absolutely bat shit crazy, he was." Inuyasha rambled on about an incident involving Totosai, a cow, and some lightning that brought tears of mirth to his amber eyes. "It was fucking hilarious," he wheezed when he caught his breath.

"So I can tell," Kagome mumbled, rolling her eyes. As much as she wanted food, she was enjoying herself again. Strolling down the street with Inuyasha by her side, laughing and joking about times past, seemed so natural.

"And that building there? Yeah. Actually, never really knew what it was for."

Kagome squinted at the faded letters adorning what remained of the sign above the door.

"A clothing shop, it looks like," she mused after a while. "I mean, it must've sold clothes, 'cause it says so right there. But what kind of clothes…" Her eyes wandered to the dusty window and burst out laughing.

"What?" Inuyasha demanded, looking into the window. All he could see were weird mannequins wearing scraps of lace and ribbon. "I don't get it! What's so funny?"

"I can see why you never knew what this was for," Kagome managed to say between her laughs.

"Tell me!" If it weren't for his towering height and muscled build, he would've looked like a whining little kid who didn't get as many treats as he wanted.

"It's a lingerie shop."

"Long-ger-ray?"

"No, lingerie," Kagome repeated. At the blank look on his face, she blushed slightly before explaining. "It's… well, it's a shop that sells, er, intimate clothing for women."

Inuyasha blinked a few times then squinted into the window again. "But those don't look like chest bindings," he observed.

"Right. Well, um, lingerie is a special kind of… yeah. That."

"Special how?"

"Like for special occasions."

"What kind of special occasions?"

Kagome sighed. "What kind of special occasion do you think? I mean, what scenario would involve a woman in her undergarments?"

"I dunno," he responded matter-of-factly, still trying to get a good view of the scraps of lace and ribbon.

"Think about it. Do you think that stuff looks functional?"

"Hell no."

"Exactly. So if it isn't functional, it's…" she held out the last word, waiting for him to complete her sentence.

"Useless?" he finished.

She resisted the urge to hit her head on the wall. "Technically, yes, but I was going to say it's more for show."

"Show? For what?"

"Think about it!" She stamped her feet in frustration, blushing harder and harder with every question. He couldn't be _that_ dumb, could he? Then again, maybe he didn't know. There was a good chance no one had ever told him, with him being left behind and whatnot…

"Just tell me, would you?" he growled.

"Ah, jeez. You're going to make me spell it out?"

He only smirked in response.

"Fine. Fine! Lingerie is something that women wear to seduce their objects of affection. They wear it and show whoever they're trying to seduce and if all goes well, it ends up on the floor within minutes of being shown. Okay?"

"But why?" he asked. "What's the point of spending money on this long-ger-ray shit if it's gonna get thrown away?"

"Look, I don't know. Let's go. I'm still hungry."

By the time they reached the end of the road, Kagome's blush had mostly faded away. Did she really just attempt to explain lingerie to a full grown half-demon? Apparently so. Inuyasha paused and his ears perked up.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, but his tone seemed doubtful. Under her scrutiny, he scowled and shook his head. "It's nothing," he insisted firmly, and continued to walk forward.

"Where're we going?"

"To get you food."

Kagome sighed, knowing she wouldn't get any more answers out of him, and continued to follow. No point in making him annoyed with questions, she thought to herself. They walked onto the rolling hills that Kagome had stood on when she saw Tessaiga for the first time. The morning sun was lovely against her skin. She closed her eyes, marveling in the way the sunlight hit her eyelids with the softest of touches. She could hear Inuyasha moving around her, heard the snaps of branches as he… leapt from tree to tree? That had to be it; there was no other explanation for the sounds she was hearing. Still, she kept her eyes closed and relished in the warmth.

"Here."

Kagome opened her eyes. Inuyasha stood in front of her, hand outstretched. A small pyramid of assorted berries was stacked in his palm, and his other hand held some vine-like thing that reminded Kagome of the hair she would pick out from the drain after each shower.

"Uh, thanks?"

She held out her hands and Inuyasha dumped the berries into them. Cautiously, she picked one up and bit into it.

"Wow."

He smiled smugly. "Good, right?"

"It's incredible! What is it?"

"I dunno. But it's good, and it ain't poisonous, so stop asking questions and just eat them."

"What's that?"

He held up the shower-drain-plant (as Kagome had so eloquently named it) and offered it to her. She backed up a bit, a look of disgust splayed across her face. He chuckled, and held it out again. Daintily, she took hold of it.

It was disarmingly soft. And ridiculously slimy.

"What _is_ this?" she whispered, simultaneously horrified and fascinated.

"Just some random plant I found. I didn't know what it was, so I just picked it up."

Kagome's eyes snapped up to his. "What?"

"I figured it looked pretty gross, so I brought it for you."

Kagome dropped the plant indignantly. "You made me touch that thing for nothing?"

He cracked a grin, and one of his fangs caught his lip.

"Inuyasha!"

"That's me," he agreed.

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you," he responded, looking away, but even Kagome could tell there was no venom in his words.


	5. Part 5

Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

A/N: Ha! See, I can totally update in a timely manner. Psh, I definitely have my shit together… kind of. More or less. But anyway, here we are. I'm thinking maybe one (at most two) more part(s) to this, so if you have any suggestions or comments on how you want this to end, you should let me know in a review *hint hint wink wink*

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 5

* * *

They rested on the side of the hill, staring up at the sparse clouds that passed idly by. The silence was comforting, and neither wanted to ruin the serenity that surrounded them. Kagome, lips stained in splotches of violet and dark purple from the berries, sighed happily, drawing a curious glance from the half-demon next to her. She simply smiled at him and closed her eyes.

She should be heading back, her internal clock told her. But she didn't want to. Not yet, anyway. A part of her felt a deeper connection to the not-so-deserted town of Tessaiga than any other connection she'd ever felt before. Another part of her pointed out every difference between her modern world and the town frozen in time. True, she could never survive here. She'd go insane from the lack of people and technology that she had become accustomed to. Yet even then, a part of her yearned to stay. It would be so peaceful, so stress-free to live here with Inuyasha and grow old together. She could see it; she could see them teasing each other, laughing at stories and adventures gone and past. The thoughts filled her with warmth and joy, and she wanted to sustain that feeling for as long as she could. But even as she tried to, it disappeared.

A cloud had blocked the sun, and it cast the patch of ground upon which they were resting into shadow. Kagome frowned, and opened her eyes. Where had all that gray come from? Where did all these clouds come from? She turned towards Inuyasha to find herself inches from a pair of golden eyes. Her heart thudded violently in her chest. He blinked, blushed, and turned away. When did her lips get so dry? She ran her tongue quickly over her lips, wincing slightly at the dry skin.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He turned towards her again, his silver hair splayed out majestically over the grass. "For what?"

"For… for everything," she said when all else failed her. Her own hair was spread out around her, raven black in stark contrast to his. The mosaic of hair looked so peaceful, almost like a giant yin and yang tattooed onto the surface of the hill.

"You say that like you're going to die," he said. "Like you're leaving and I'm never going to see you again." He propped himself up on his elbow, his silver mane receding from her own until it barely touched the ground and instead hung limply over his back.

"I mean…" she licked her lips again and swallowed the lump that had risen from the depths of her stomach. "I need to go back eventually," she whispered.

Inuyasha said nothing.

"I want you to know that this was… what I learned here was… I mean…" She shook her head solemnly. "This was wonderful, and I wouldn't give this up for anything in the world. I love this town, and I like you—er, your stories, but I just… I need to go home."

His eyes were downcast, a lone clawed finger tracing abstract patterns in the grass by his side. Kagome's own hands gripped the grass in her fist, keenly aware of the small ripping noises as the blades were uprooted.

"I understand," he said quietly. He sounded almost heartbroken.

"You can come with me," Kagome suggested, knowing even as the words left her mouth that it would never happen.

He finally lifted his eyes up to meet hers and he gave a small smile. "Thank you, but we both know it can't happen."

Another moment of painful silence. She stared into his eyes, frantically trying to memorize what she might not ever see again. The light, the dark, the gold, the amber: she traced over ever line, every curve of his eyes and branded them into her mind.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered breathlessly.

"It's okay. I'll be okay, wench. Don't beat yourself up again."

He rolled to his feet slowly, like he was weighed down with the weight of the world. He reached out a hand, and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you," Kagome said again. She didn't know how else to convey the feelings inside her. What _could_ she say? She was sure that no matter how hard she tried, there was no way she could do the emotions in her justice by speaking them out loud. "Will I… will I ever see you again?"

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, only to find his gaze focused on the rental car she had forgotten about. He looked so stoic, standing there, his hair glinting in the sunlight that peeked through the onslaught of clouds. The soft breeze lifted his hair ever so slightly, making tiny rippling waves.

"I don't know."

She nodded solemnly, knowing that it was the best answer for her question. "Okay."

They turned towards each other then, each surprised by the other's action. Kagome blushed and before she could talk herself out of it, stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek into his chest. She felt him tense for the briefest of moments before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing gently. She closed her eyes, and allowed the tears to spill from her eyes onto his shirt.

"I'm going to miss you," she mumbled into his chest. He laughed, and she felt the vibrations traveling through him and into her own body.

"I'll miss you too," he said. "Even if you _are_ an annoying wench."

She started to pull away, and his arms fell back to his side, a little reluctantly

"So," Kagome muttered, stalling. Why was she stalling? Shouldn't she be leaving now? "I guess this is it."

"I guess so."

His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes downcast. His jaw twitched and he bit his lower lip. Absolutely adorable, Kagome thought. He looked nervous for some reason.

"Inu—?" she started to ask but found she had forgotten how to speak. For someone so strong, his lips were so surprisingly soft and so gentle; a clawed hand delicately moving through her hair. Her arms moved automatically, floating until they rested around his neck and holding onto the silver locks. They moved in unison, their lips locked, and she sighed happily. _This_ is what she had been stalling for.

He pulled away first, this time, and Kagome's arms dropped back to her side. Neither tried to hide the blushes tinting their cheeks. His eyes scanned her face, looking for a reaction. "I just had to—"

"I know." Kagome gave him a sad but genuine smile. "Trust me, I know."

* * *

 **Three years later**

* * *

"My favorite town, however, was located in Japan. Tessaiga, located where that red dot is, was a town famous for its live-in demon slayer. Sango, along with her friends and allies, brought down an evil half-demon Naraku and because of her sudden claim to fame, left the town. Eventually, it was completely deserted."

Kagome paused, and the sound of a hundred breaths filled the air. She resisted the urge to scratch at the mic taped to the side of her face. The spotlight shining on her was disarmingly bright, but at least it made the audience invisible to her. Not being able to see the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of anthropologists, journalists, and other esteemed colleagues sitting in the large auditorium calmed her nerves at least a little bit. Sitting in the back was the International Board of Anthropological Studies, who were watching each presentation to decide who would win the $10,000 scholarship and a position on the board itself. No wonder she was so nervous. So far, her presentation on ghost towns was going pretty well. The audience had laughed at her jokes, even the ones she came up with last minute. They seemed interested enough in her topic, and some had even raised their hands to ask engaging questions.

Kagome clicked the remote in her hand, and a picture of the main road in Tessaiga appeared. "Here you can see the main road. All around it, empty shops." _Click_. "Newspaper clippings about Sango. The one in the middle, as I'm sure you all can see, is the one with Naraku." _Click_. "Some close up shots of houses." _Click_. "Ah, this one. It's a close up of a newspaper clipping, one that was plastered to one of the windows of one of the shops. You can see the group she was with. Miroku, a monk, Shippo, an orphaned fox-demon. This is Kirara, Sango's most trusted companion, and this figure right here is Inuyasha."

Even now, saying his name still sent her heart sprinting. She could almost feel his lips on her own, his hands in her hair… No. Now was not the time. A murmur of confusion spread around the auditorium. She cleared her throat and glanced out towards the audience. It was starting to freak her out now, not being able to see them as they whispered to each other. Obviously, they were talking about her.

 _Click_.

"Miroku was a trusted companion, always level-headed and reliable in the face of danger. When there wasn't any danger however…" Kagome chucked despite her nerves. "He _was_ the danger. There were rumors about him and Sango having an affair, which ended up being true. Once they moved out of Tessaiga, they settled down and had three children together."

 _Click_. Kagome grinned as the audience let out a unified "aw!"

"Shippo's parents were killed by two notorious demons that were nicknamed the Thunder Brothers. Hiten and Manten were eventually killed off by this group to avenge Shippo's parents. They kept the little boy around because he was adorable and because he was— and I quote— a good punching bag."

The audience laughed, and Kagome felt herself relax a bit. She threw them a smile, and clicked the remote.

"This is Inuyasha. He was the group's greatest warrior, never afraid of a challenge. Those who knew him well described him as rude, impulsive, courageous, and selfless."

"Miss Higurashi, you have a question from the Board."

The announcer pointed to the board member who had their hand up. She couldn't tell which board member they were; the lights were too bright in her eyes. Kagome turned and smiled pleasantly towards the silhouetted person who now stood to address her. Please ask a nice question, she pleaded silently.

"I'd heard this story before many times, and I like to consider myself an expert on this subject. I've dedicated many years to researching the life of Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippo, and the rest of them, but I've never come across this… Inuyasha character. Where did you find out about him? I, too, have been to Tessaiga— ten years ago of course though I doubt anything has changed significantly— and I didn't find anything about him."

Kagome swallowed in relief. That wasn't too bad of a question. And then it hit her— how was she going to explain how she knew about him? She couldn't tell the audience that the deserted town of Tessaiga wasn't as deserted as everyone thought it was; she wouldn't ruin his private sanctuary and give him away. "Uh, well, thank you for your question," Kagome began, cursing inwardly at how her voice shook. Be strong, dammit! "Um, you see, I came across some things in the library—"

"But I went there too," the man said again. "I read through all the books there and there was nothing about him."

"Yes, well, I also had a, um, I found a… source," she stumbled. It was all crashing down around her. She could hear murmurs from the audience. Some were questioning her credibility on the subject. She didn't blame them; her attempt at explaining without giving away Inuyasha was pathetic at most. But she hadn't worked this hard for so many years to be ridiculed in front of her colleagues; she hadn't pulled all-nighters for the past 5 years to not get this scholarship. She squared her shoulders and coughed into the mic to get everyone's attention. "Yes, I had a source."

"What source, if I may ask?" the man called up to her.

"You _may_ ask," she responded coolly. "But I won't tell."

"Why won't you tell?"

"I won't betray his trust."

"His? So this source of yours is more important than revealing the credibility behind your research to the International Board of Anthropological Studies? You could lose this internship right here, Ms. Higurashi," the man warned.

Kagome gulped, knowing that no matter what she did, she was probably never going to get hired again. "I know. I'm sorry, but I won't reveal who he is. It'll ruin him if I do, and that's _certainly_ no way to pay him back for all the help he gave me."

The audience erupted. What does she _mean_ she won't tell? Does she even know who she's talking to? Too late did Kagome realize that the man asking her questions was none other than Dr. Kouga Lang, the leading expert on ghost towns like Tessaiga. Of course the audience saw her attitude towards him as disrespectful. She heard phrases like "the youth these days" and "no respect whatsoever" and she could feel her reputation she had worked so hard to build up being ripped apart brick by brick.

"May I have your—MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!" the announcer yelled into his microphone. The ringing silence had never been so loud. "We have a question in the back. You, sir."

The man who had been called on walked forward. Kagome couldn't make out his face or any features, but from what she gathered from the hushed whispers, she could tell this was not going to be good. I'm done for, she thought, holding back tears of frustration. All that hard work for nothing…

"I'm sure your source appreciates what you're doing to protect him," the man started saying.

Kagome gasped.

"But— and trust me on this one— he doesn't need protecting."

That voice… it was so familiar.

"It seems that the only thing keeping you from winning this damn scholarship or whatever is your lacking credibility."

The man walked closer and closer to the stage. Oh, no. No, no, no. _No_. It couldn't be—

"Since you won't tell them who your source is," the man standing right below said. "I will."

With a swift leap, he materialized on the stage. She stared into familiar golden eyes, unable to move. Vaguely, her hazy mind registered the whispers of the audience that had now escalated into shouts of confusion. Yet amid all the chaos, she had no trouble hearing his words.

"And so we meet again, Kagome."


	6. Part 6

Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

A/N: Last chapter! Thank you for reading all the way to the end, and a huge thank you to those of you who messaged me, reviewed, and favorited this story. I'm so glad people like you exist 3

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Part 6

* * *

Giving her a quick wink, Inuyasha turned to the frenzied audience. His ears twitched as he heard the confused shouts. Kagome still hadn't moved from her spot. This is definitely a dream, her mind told her for the hundredth time. It was like a broken record or something.

All the noise giving him a headache, Inuyasha did the only thing he could think of. Sucking in a deep breath of air, he opened his mouth and bellowed, "WOULD YOU ALL KINDLY SHUT THE FUCK UP?"

"What?!" Ah, look at that. She could move again. Her screech echoed in the dead silence of the auditorium, ricocheting around until she heard at least seven different Kagome's yelling at various pitches and volumes. Blushing heavily, she reached out and pulled the half-demon close to her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, apparently forgetting that she had a microphone taped to her face. The audience eagerly leaned forward to hear what was going on.

"Saving you from yourself," he retorted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He started to turn towards the audience again, but she shot out a hand and grabbed his arm.

"Saving me from myself? What does that even _mean_?" she demanded.

Sighing, he turned to face her. "I mean, I don't need protecting, okay? You're about to throw away the chance of a lifetime. For me. As if I'd let you do that."

Stunned, she found her mouth opening and closing in complete silence. He came here to save her? How did he even get here? How did he know she was going to give a talk? How—

"As I'm sure you're all aware, I'm Inuyasha." He strode confidently to the middle of the stage as the spotlight followed him. Only now did Kagome notice his clothes, and despite her initial shock and fury at finding him here, she had to admit he looked good. Really good. The navy blue suit and crisp white shirt looked like they were made for him. And add on that silver tie? Done deal. If it weren't for the rest of the people in the auditorium, she would've dragged him off the stage and into the back room for some private—

"…this wench won't tell you, I'll tell you. Some 50 years ago, all those people you saw on that screen and I defeated…"

How did he…? Kagome's flabbergasted mind flailed in an attempt to come up with any answer that made at least a little bit of sense. As Inuyasha told his story to the stunned audience, Kagome just stood to the side and blinked.

"…half-demon. Yeah, I know. That's what they thought too, and so I decided to be nice for once and so I let them…"

Where did he get those clothes from? The way he was talking, gesturing confidently with his hands as if he'd been born for public speaking… it was too much for her. It was suddenly too hot in the auditorium.

A sharp noise shook Kagome from her internal musings. Startled, she looked up only to see the entire audience on their feet, applauding and whistling so loud she thought the building would collapse. A weight landed on her shoulder, and she glanced over with glazed eyes to see a familiar face framed with silver hair.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, turning her so she her back faced the wild audience.

"Fine," she murmured, still in a daze.

"Come on, I'll explain everything once we get the hell out of here. Kami, do they ever stop screaming?"

Inuyasha gave his new fans a quick wave before dragging Kagome behind one of the thick velvet curtains that hung on either side of the stage. She didn't trust her legs to work properly at this point, so she let him lead her out of the back door and onto the sidewalk behind the stage.

"What… what is going on?" she asked timidly.

"Let's see," Inuyasha said, pretending to think. He dropped her hand and stroked his chin— damn, that jawline, Kagome thought— glancing towards the auditorium. "I left Tessaiga, spent years trying to track you down, finally saw your name in the newspaper, came here, interrupted your presentation—"

Kagome found her voice again. Before she could stop herself, a loud slap resonated between the two and, hand stinging slightly, she took a step back and stared at the red handprint blazoned across Inuyasha's cheek. "How dare you?" she screeched. "You interrupted my presentation! Do you even know—"

"Kami, wench, could you get any louder?" he complained, glaring at her from the corner of his eye. "I know I interrupted; didn't you listen to anything I said? I probably just saved your sorry ass in there!"

Stunned, Kagome could only stare at him with her mouth opening and closing silently. He chuckled, anger dissipated, and affectionately lifted her chin up to close her mouth. A blush spread across her cheeks and she looked away from his molten gaze.

"I want to know the whole story," she said shakily. "From the beginning."

"Beginning, eh?" He glanced at her frozen form and sighed. "This isn't a good place for this. Come on, we'll get something to eat. I'm hungry."

A few minutes of walking in uncomfortable silence found the two sitting at an outdoor café. The waiter had just finished taking their order and had disappeared inside to grab their drinks. He returned a minute later, setting an iced tea in front of Kagome and a bottle of beer in front of Inuyasha.

"Enjoy," the waiter recited monotonously, and disappeared again.

"Is this a good place to tell the whole story?"

"I guess so. From the beginning right?"

Kagome took a sip of her tea and nodded.

He smirked. "Well, my mom and my dad fell in love and I was born. I—" He stopped talking to dance out of the way of Kagome's hand. "What?" he asked. "I'm starting from the beginning like you asked!"

"You know what I meant," Kagome huffed, sitting back down and withdrawing her hand to wrap it around the condensation on her glass.

"Fine, fine." Inuyasha took a gulp of his beer, wincing slightly as the unaccustomed taste slid down his throat. "Well, I'll start with what happened after you left. I… for lack of better words, I was bored as hell. It's all your fault, too. Before you came I was perfectly happy living alone, but after you left, I felt…" He swirled his beer around in the bottle, not looking at her. "I felt empty. Like I was missing something. So, after a few months, I packed up what I had and anything I found that might be of use and left."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Then what?"

"I was getting there. Be patient, wench." He smiled smugly as her face contorted into a frown. "You see, _wench_ , I ended up walking a few miles— well, a few hundred more like— until I ran into this town and don't ask me what its name was because I had no idea, but I found someone who was willing to let me stay—"

"Who?" Kagome interrupted. Her curiosity was getting away from her.

"You wouldn't believe it, but it was Miroku."

"Miroku?!" Kagome yelled. "What?!"

"That's the reaction I had," Inuyasha agreed. "But when I smelled him, I knew it was him. Sango was there too. Ah, man, you should've seen their faces when I showed up at their front door."

"How did you know he was there?"

"I told you, I smelled him. I just followed his scent and I ended up at his front door. Anyway, we had a long heart to heart and got all the emotional shit out of the way and he agreed to let me stay in his house for as long as I wanted. Said it was the least he could do for being such a shitty friend. I also may have guilted him into buying me new clothes and all the… yeah. So anyway, I told him and Sango to keep an eye out for your name, and one day Sango comes back from work— oh, did I tell you she started a demon-slayer school? It's pretty great— anyway, she comes back and hands me this newspaper and your name was on it and it said you were going to be the youngest anthropologist to ever have a shot at winning whatever scholarship that was, so I guilted them into buying me a ticket and here I am."

Kagome held up her hands. "Whoa. This is… this is too much right now. I need some… Can I take a sip of that?" she asked, Inuyasha's beer already halfway to her mouth.

"Sure," he responded dryly as she took a huge gulp. "Yes, Kagome, you may have some of my beer. Thanks for asking."

She gave him a shy grin. "So you came all the way out here to find me, and you did it. Now what?"

He frowned, the expression creating wrinkles on his handsome face. "I don't really know," he said after a pregnant pause. Kagome's head nearly slammed into the table but luckily, she stopped herself at the last minute.

"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked slowly, praying to whatever deities she could think of.

"I… I didn't really think this far ahead, okay? I didn't expect this to actually work out!" he spat defensively. He crossed his arms and Kagome noticed for the hundredth time how _great_ he looked in modern day clothes.

"Of course," Kagome mumbled. She took a sip of her tea for lack of better things to do with her hands.

"I really didn't expect this to go as planned. I mean, when was the last time something in my life went as planned, huh? At least fifty years ago, that's for damn sure." Inuyasha sighed irritatedly and ran a hand through his hair. The sunlight glinted off his silver mane and Kagome temporarily lost her ability to think. How could someone be so _pretty_? "I mean, in the rare chance that I actually did find you, I was hoping I could stay with you or something, you know? Cause that's the whole reason I left Tessaiga in the first pla—" He stopped abruptly as his brain finally processed the words shooting out of his mouth a million miles per second. "Uh…"

"Stay with me?" Kagome echoed faintly. Had she heard him correctly? He left Tessaiga, his hometown, his private sanctuary for his entire life, to find _her_?

"Well…" Sheepishly, a clawed hand scratched at the back of his neck and he flushed, diverting his gaze. "If you want me to. You don't have to," he rushed to assure her. "I… I understand if you just want me to leave. I can do that; I can disappear off the face of the earth if you don't want to see me again. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just blurt that out. I had, like, half of a speech planned out and… okay, this went a lot better in my head. Oh, Kami." He dropped his head into his hands.

Kagome blinked, then let out a giggle. Startled, Inuyasha looked up and was surprised to find the woman sitting across from him laughing into her hand. His ears drooped and her laughter died immediately.

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you!" she said, and cheered internally as his ears perked up again. "Actually, that's a lie"— his ears swiveled down again and she inwardly berated herself for being harsh— "I mean, I'm laughing at your adorable awkwardness! Not you, I promise."

Inuyasha scoffed and growled, "I am _not_ adorable."

"You actually are," Kagome retorted.

The waiter appeared suddenly carrying two plates of food. He slid a sandwich in front of Kagome, and a plate stacked with three sandwiches in front of Inuyasha.

"Enjoy your meal," he said in a robotic voice. With the blink of an eye, he disappeared again.

"I'm not adorable, I'm terrifying and intimidating," Inuyasha muffled. Already, half a sandwich had been shoved down his throat and he was reaching for the second half.

"Inuyasha, slow down! You're going to get a stomachache!"

"No can do, wench," he said smugly. "You seem to forget I'm a half-demon."

"An adorably half-demon," she countered.

"Feh."

Kagome smiled. She'd won.

By the time Kagome swallowed the last nibble of her sandwich, Inuyasha had ordered and devoured four more sandwiches, a slice of cake, and was steadily working his way through his sixth bottle of beer. Amazed, Kagome watched as yet more stuff went into the bottomless pit that was his stomach.

"So…"

"What?"

"Exactly. So, now what?"

"Huh?" He cocked his head to one side, one ear flopping over and Kagome nearly squealed. Instead, she calmed herself down as best she could and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You said you wanted to stay with me, yeah?"

"Don't say it like that," he mumbled. "Makes me sound like a whiny pup."

"But you are a whiny pup," Kagome couldn't resist adding. At the offended look he gave her, she only smiled angelically. "But seriously, you said that, didn't you?"

He studied her for a moment, unsure of where she was going with this. "Yes," he said cautiously.

"Great," Kagome said calmly. Casually, she wiped her napkin around the corners of her mouth, pretending not to notice how badly her hands were shaking or the butterflies in her stomach. Seriously though, were those butterflies trying to knock down a wall or something? Settle down, she ordered them. Alas, they didn't listen.

"What's so… great about this?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"It's great because if you hadn't brought it up, I would have." She looked him in the eyes again. "Stay with me, Inuyasha. I've missed you. I haven't stopped thinking about you every day since I left, and that's not just because I spent the past few years writing about Tessaiga and every other ghost town I've been in."

"Oh," he said, so softly that she nearly missed it in her rambling. She stopped, her mouth partially open with the remains of another word dissipating into the air around them.

"Will you?" she asked slowly, her boldness from before melted away by his gaze.

"Of course," he replied without a moment of hesitation.

Her face split into the biggest, most genuine smile Inuyasha had ever seen, and just the sight of Kagome with a smile sent his heart into lopsided thuds. He bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood, in order to stop himself from smiling. He had a reputation to keep up, after all. Instead, he settled for an arrogant smirk that Kagome found terribly endearing.

"I have an apartment to myself," she told him. "It's not too far from here, and there should be enough space for the both of us. It's got a kitchen, a dining room, something that resembles a living room, and then there's my bedroom, a bathroom, and a spare room next to it." As she described her home, she drew a rough diagram on the table with her finger. "I can move my stuff out of that spare room, I've been using it as a storage room, and we can turn that into your bedroom—"

"That won't be necessary," Inuyasha cut in smoothly. He stood up and stretched, his jacket lifting up to reveal an inch of tanned skin. He pulled some bills from his pocket and threw it on the table. Grabbing her hand, he started to lead her out of the outdoor seating area.

"What do you mean? You have to sleep somewhere—"

"You can keep that room as a storage room," he insisted firmly. Hand in hand, they walked down the street towards the now setting sun. Kagome could feel her heart beating in her throat. Her hand, nestled in his, felt so natural and comforting. To any other people on the street, they probably looked like a couple— Kagome blushed furiously. A couple, huh?

"If you're trying to save me from doing all the work, don't worry about it. It's about time I got it cleaned up anyway," she tried to say.

Inuyasha stopped walking, let go of her hand, and placed his on her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Stubborn wench," he muttered affectionately. "What I'm trying to say," he whispered into her ear, "is that I won't be needing that bedroom because I'll be in yours. Understand?"

Shivers raced down her spine. He was so close to her; so close that she could smell his scent even with her dull human nose; so close that the buttons on his jacket were pressing into her chest. His words registered in her mind. She should slap him, should hit him for being so forward and so scandalous but instead, she found her arms snaking up and looping around his neck. Pulling him forward, she pressed her lips to his and found that the spark from three years ago hadn't extinguished yet.

Pulling back, she smiled deviously at the unfocused gaze of the half-demon.

"Oh, I understand alright," she whispered. "In fact, I'm counting on it."

* * *

A/N: should I do an epilogue? If enough of you guys want one, I'd be willing to write one! Let me know what you think of an epilogue and try to guess what I'm going to write about! The person who gets the closest guess wins… bragging rights(?) That's all I have to offer, sorry friends.


	7. Epilogue

Summary: AU. Anthropologist Kagome specializes in ghost towns. When she learns from a stranger that there's a ghost town nearby, she immediately goes to investigate the deserted town. But what happens when that town isn't as deserted as she thinks?

A/N: ahhh alas, I wasn't ready to leave this story be and I was too clingy to let this be over just yet. So, here's an epilogue! Thank you to everyone who has been with me since the beginning, and thank you to those who joined me part way! And, just to make sure I've covered everyone, a thank you (in advance) to those who haven't yet but will soon read Ghost Town! It's been a blast writing this. So, I present to you: The [very short] Epilogue

* * *

 **Ghost Town**

Epilogue: 4 Years Later

* * *

"Dammit, Kagome, could you be any—"

Inuyasha burst through the bedroom door, snarling, and was immediately greeted with a high pitched scream and, a second later, a pillow in his face.

"Get out!" Kagome screamed, clutching her towel to her body. "I'm not done changing yet!"

Inuyasha scoffed but dutifully turned around. "It's not like I haven't seen what there is to be seen," he muttered.

"OUT!"

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome exited the bedroom wearing a light yellow sundress and light blue cardigan. She walked into the living room and found Inuyasha sprawled on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. When she walked into the room, he glanced up at her, and she giggled at his wide-eyed gaze.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, springing off the couch and striding over to her in a few long steps. She blushed as he kissed her gently, careful not to smear the lipstick she had spent five minutes painstakingly applying.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she whispered huskily when they broke apart. She glanced down at his outfit— a fitted black dress shirt, black dress pants, black leather shoes, and a bright red tie— and grinned. All mine, she thought happily to herself.

"I always look good," he crowed, his ego swelling with all the attention she was giving him.

"Yeah, yeah. We should go."

He offered her his arm, and she took it with grace. Arms linked together, they strolled out of the apartment they shared and onto the street.

"Where are we meeting them?" Kagome asked, keeping an eye out for the telltale purple coat.

"The café down the road," Inuyasha responded. He glanced down at the woman at his side and smiled to himself. She's truly beautiful, inside and out, he thought.

The couple strode leisurely to the café where they had shared their first meal in the modern world together. Kagome chuckled quietly as she remembered the absurd amount of food Inuyasha had devoured. As the café came into view, her eyes caught a flash of purple.

"There!" she pointed, and Inuyasha followed her finger to the middle aged man in the purple coat, who looked up at her shout. The man's face split into a wide smile and he spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. Kagome and Inuyasha approached him, Kagome with a smile and Inuyasha with a neutral expression plastered on his face.

"Long time no see, Inuyasha," the man greeted. He clapped Inuyasha on the back and offered his hand to Kagome politely. "I'm Miroku," he said. Her eyes scanned over the wrinkles on his face and the lines at the corners of his eyes. He smiled a lot, apparently, and even though he looked almost elderly, his violet eyes twinkled with life and mischief.

She grasped his hand firmly, and smiled. "I'm Kagome, though I'm sure you already know that."

Miroku laughed heartily and nodded. "I've heard a lot about you from Inuyasha," he admitted. At the scandalized look on Inuyasha's face and the curiosity shining from Kagome's, he grinned. "All good things," he assured the woman.

"They better be," she said good-naturedly, elbowing Inuyasha lightly.

"Ha, ha," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Let's all sit down, shall we? I already ordered some iced tea for you, Lady Kagome, and a beer for you, 'Yash."

"Lady Kagome?" Kagome asked with a light laugh.

"Old habits die hard," Miroku responded, echoing her laugh. "Back in the day I referred to everyone as Lady and Lord."

"How interesting," Kagome said.

The three adults sat down at their table and sipped their drinks.

"So," Miroku said.

"So," Kagome echoed.

"So, Kagome, tell me about yourself."

As she launched into an abridged autobiography, Inuyasha stared absently at his bottle of beer. Miroku had asked to meet her a few weeks back, and Inuyasha had begrudgingly agreed. Having finally forgiven Miroku and Sango for what he saw as their betrayal, Inuyasha figured bringing Kagome into the group would act as a truce, or at least something like that.

In the past four years since Inuyasha first interrupted Kagome's presentation, the couple had become nearly inseparable. Despite their constant bickering and occasional all-out-fights, they cared for each other deeply. Occasionally, Inuyasha was sweet enough to do something romantic, like buy Kagome some flowers or massage her feet after a long day, but those things usually only happened after a big fight. Probably a coincidence, though.

Inuyasha had gotten a job at Sango's demon-slaying school as an instructor, and quickly became the most requested private instructor she had. Perhaps it was his _charm_ , or his _eloquent_ way with words— in any case, it helped pay the rent and Kagome wasn't complaining. As per Inuyasha's prediction, Kagome won the scholarship from the International Board of Anthropological Studies and was now an anthropology professor at an esteemed all-women's college in the neighboring town. She loved her job, and he loved his; what could be better?

Every morning, Kagome would wake up hours before her boyfriend— official _boyfriend_ —and, before she left for work, would always make breakfast for him and leave it on the table. By the time she came back, exhausted, cranky, and ready for bed, he would be waiting at the dining table with dinner for two. They would antagonize each other over bites of food while playing footsies under the table; they would criticize each other to the point of redundancy yet hold hands the entire time. It was a weird relationship, but it worked and so long as it worked, he was happy. He could only hope she was just as happy.

"…and yeah. So, now we're living together."

"I see," Miroku said. He turned to Inuyasha, who had been staring at his bottle of beer for the entirety of Kagome's autobiography. "Kagome, would you mind grabbing the waiter? He's taking forever and I would love to try the new sandwich they advertised."

"Of course," Kagome chirped, and disappeared into the café in search of the same robotic waiter who had served her last time.

As soon as she was out of ear shot, Miroku looked at Inuyasha with a serious expression.

"I approve," he said solemnly.

"Huh?" Inuyasha's eyes snapped back into focus and he blinked at the violet eyes in front of him.

"I said, I approve. She's a wonderful lady."

"Keh, as if I was looking for your approval," Inuyasha scoffed, though he was secretly pleased that his lifetime friend got along with Kagome. It would've been awkward if they hadn't.

"When will you ask her?"

"Later today," he murmured, hand subconsciously moving to rub the edge of the velvet box hidden in his pocket. He had only bought the ring three days ago, and was still waiting for the right moment to ask her. Of course, he knew she would say yes but still, even after all these years together, he still despised having to put his emotions on the table. Why couldn't he just give the ring to her? Surely she'd understand what he was trying to say, right?

"I wish you luck, my friend," Miroku said, sitting back casually as Kagome reappeared with the disgruntled waiter in tow.

"Found him," she announced brightly, and sat back in her seat.

"No shit," Inuyasha muttered.

"Watch your language," she scolded him without heat.

He stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes, thankfully unaware of his pounding heart. By tomorrow, this wench would be his mate. _Mate_. His inner demon growled happily at the thought of Kagome as his mate. _Mate._ He could hardly believe it. It's been four years since I decided to leave that town, he thought. Thank goodness Kagome showed up; otherwise he was sure he would've stayed in Tessaiga, hurt, alone, and bitter until he died. Suddenly overcome with gratitude for the petite woman beside him, he grabbed one of her hands and intertwined their fingers. Kagome merely raised a curious eyebrow at him, but said nothing. The light blush that decorated her cheeks said it all.

He'll have plenty of time to show her how much he cared for her. They'd have all of eternity to figure out the fastest way to push each other's buttons, to learn each other's guilty pleasures, to show how thankful he was to have someone like her in his life. He could think of a few ways to demonstrate his gratitude, and he smirked as he imagined her reactions.

Yeah, he was okay with being stuck with this wench for the rest of his life, even if she did drive him crazy most of the time.

"Hello? Inuyasha? Are you alive?"

"Huh?" His eyes refocused. Kagome was staring at him, partially concerned and partially amused.

"It's your turn to order," she said, gesturing to the waiter she had dragged over.

"Oh, right." He turned to his menu and started reading through the selections.

"Don't tell me you haven't chosen yet," Kagome said, closing her eyes and pursing her lips.

"I just won't say anything, then," Inuyasha suggested.

"I'm so done with you."

"I love you," he offered.

Kagome paused, sighed, and begrudgingly let a small smile decorate her lips. "Unfortunately for me and luckily for you," she muttered, "I love you too."


End file.
